The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-04-28

THURSDAY. APRIL 2S, 1887.
CURlOSlTlES OF TAXATION.

ton have been adopted in this
country (England). The first tax
ever imposed was the one levied by
julius Caesar. When this brave
warrior had subdued the warlike
races of Southern Britain, he or
dered the chiefs of the various clans
to send annually to Rome given
number of men and wild animals
the former, he said, would he re-
tanned as hostages; and the latter
would be used tor the great fights in
the Colosseum. But very often the
men and the wild animals were put
on an equal footing, and forced TO
fight with each other in sight of the
bloodthirsty and applauding Ro-
mans.
When the English, in the reign of
Edgar the Peaceable, conquered
Wales they levied n tax on the
Welsh. 1t was very unique one.
Instead Of money tribute, the
conquered people had annually to
hand over to the English King 300
wolves heads, plan which in four
years, cleared their forests of these
wild animals, and thus more safety
was secured both for man and do
nestle animals.
About the Fourteenth century
another tax was imposed; this was
the poll-taX. 1t consisted in the
payment of 1 shilling annually by
everyone above the age of fifteen.
No distinction was made; rich and
poor were amenable to the same
amount. Great discontentment fol-
lowed its imposition, and the discon-
tentment spread into open rebellion.
Nothing in these bygone days seem
ed to escape taxation; thus, we find
at one time wool was heavily taxed.
The cause of all these demands for
money arose from the ambitious
desires of the English Kings. They
longed to rule not only England,
but France and other continental
nations as well. Taxation in kind
was also common. An English King
or General passing through any part
of England with his army could pro-
vide for his soldiers and horses
simply by demanding supplies from
the people who happened to be in
the line of his march, and for these
provisions no money was given in
return. Labor was also taxed in
kind; laborers and tradesmen had
often to give their services gratis to
the King, and sometimes even to
the mobiles. 1t was in this way that
many of the great palaces in this
country were built. Windsor Castle
may be cited as an example.
But of all the taxes ever imposed
on the people, the "birth-tax" was
the most odious. 1t lasted thirteen
years, dating from 1876. Every
person not in receipt of aims was
required TO pay 2 shillings for every
''little stranger" that came into
existence. The tax was n great
burden to the lower orders; but the
nobility and gentry were subjected
to still heavier payments than their
poorer neighbors. Thirty pounds
had to be paid on the birth of the
child of a duke. This sum gradu-
ally diminished according to GER
tain fixed scale, until it reached 10
shillings, the amount levied on real
estate of ESQ or personal estate of
fG00 and upward.
Contemporaneously with this
''birth-taX" there existed another
called "the bachelors tax" 1t was
not very heavy imposition, and
was probably intended to be as
much reminder of their duty as q
means of ''raising the Wind" which
William iii so often stood in need
of. AS soon as man reached the
age of twenty-five years he was
liable to the tax, which was one
shilling yearly till he took to himself
q spouse; but it did not stop with
bachelors, and here we think it was
unjust, for it taxed widowers with
out children. Besides the shilling
every one had to pay an amount
according to his rank for the luxury
Cor otherwise) of single blessedness
thus duke or an Archbishop was
amerced IN the yearly sum of f12
los; an esquire, f2 IS; gentle
man, 8 shillings. Social distinc-
tions were nicely drawn then.
In the reign of Queen Elizabeth
the English Parliament passed an
Act of Uniformity, ordering all
those who should refuse to be Epis-
copalians, or should absent them
selves from church on Sundays, to
pay tax of shilling per year. In
those days religious liberation was
at a very low ebb.
There Is nothing British people
pride themselves so much in as their
desire for sanitary arrangements
best suited for the health of the
general community. Air, light and
cleanliness is the triad of the re-
formers. "Introduce these" say
they, "and many difficulties regard
ing health will be simplified. But
what would such ardent rcformcrs
say if proposition were to arise
advising the taxation of window
glass? The idea would be epurned,
| yet there was n time when glass was
taxed, so that light, free to all, did